Low upheld the KL High Court's decision on Sept 28 last year, ruling Section 15(5) of the UUCA as being in accordance with the federal constitution.

The four students had sought a declaration that the UUCA is unconstitutional. Their application had been dismissed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s Appellate and Special Powers Division.

The High Court’s Justice Aziah Ali ruled that Section 15 of the UUCA does not infringe Article 10 of the federal constitution which deals with freedom of expression.

Mohd Hilman Idham, Ismail Aminuddin, Azlin Shafina Mohamad Adza and Wong King Chai had been arrested by police during the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign for taking part in political events, an activity barred by the UUCA.

Popularly dubbed the ‘UKM Four’, they had faced disciplinary proceeding initiated by the university on July 4 this year.

However, they were found not guilty by the board. All political science students, they graduated last month. The four students had named the Malaysian government, the higher education minister and UKM as the respondents.

What the decision means is that university students can now freely express their opinions as long as they do not violate public security.

The four UKM students were represented by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Ashok Kandiah and Jenine Gill.

UKM, which was represented by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (left), has indicated that they will appeal the decision.

'For all individuals to enjoy'

Justice Hishamudin, in his 21-page judgment, wrote that freedom of expression is a fundamental right that all individuals should enjoy.

"It is fundamental to the existence of democracy and the respect of human dignity. This basic right is recognised in numerous human rights documents such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"Free speech is accorded pre-eminent status in the constitutions of many countries."

Hishamudin said he fails to see how the section of the UUCA in question relates to public order or morality.

"I am at a loss to understand in what manner a student, who expresses support for, or opposition against a political party, could harm or bring about an adverse effect in public order or public morality," he said.

"Are not political parties legal entities carrying out legitimate political activities? Are not political leaders, including ministers and members of the federal and state legislatures, members of political parties?"

He said most university students are of the age of majority.

"They can enter into contracts. They can sue and be sued. They can marry, become parents and undertake parental responsibilities. They can vote in general elections if they are 21 years old. They can be directors of company. They can be office-bearers of societies.

“Yet - and herein lies the irony - they are told that legally they cannot say anything that can be construed as supporting or opposing a political party," he noted.

Justice Hishamudin said that, in his opinion, Section 15 impedes the healthy development of the critical mind and original thought of students - objectives that seats of higher learning should strive to achieve.

"Universities should be the breeding ground of reformers and thinkers and not institutions to produce students trained as robots. Clearly the provision is not only counter-productive but repressive in nature."

Hishamudin also noted that in the parliamentary Hansard cited by the senior federal counsel representing the government, there was no mention of public order or morality.

Linton: Section 15 manifest absurdity

Justice Linton in his 15 page written judgment described the enactment of section 15 (5) (a) of UUCA as of manifest absurdity.

“It is not necessary to embark on a judicial scrutiny to determine its reasonableness because it is in itself not reasonable. What better illustration can there be of the utter absurdity of Section 15 (5) (a) than the facts of this case where students of universities and university colleges face disciplinary proceedings with the grim prospect of expulsion simply because of their presence at a parliamentary by-election.”

“A legislative enactment that prohibits such participation in a vital aspect of democracy cannot by any standard be said to be reasonable. In my judgment therefore because of its unreasonableness, section 15 (5) (a) of the UUCA does not come within the restrictions permitted under Article 10 (2) (a) of the federal constitution and is accordingly in violation of Article 10 (1) (1) and consequently void by virtue of Article 4(1) of the federal constitution.”

He pointed out Article 4 (1) states the constitution is the supreme law of the federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this constitution shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.

“Notwithstanding the presumption of constitutionality of a legislative enactment and the rule that the court must endeavour to sustain its validity, the validity of Section 15 (5) (a) of the UUCA is nevertheless patently unsustainable,” he said.

“For the reasons aforesaid, the appeal (by the students) is allowed with costs. The orders made by the High Court are set aside. The declarations prayed for in the appellants originating summons are according allowed,” he said.

Following the majority judgment, lawyer Ashok Kandiah, representing the students, asked that costs not be imposed as this was a vital case.

Justice Low made no order as to costs and noted Shafee’s application to appeal the matter at the Federal Court.

Certainly today’s decision manifests the university students’ rights to freedom of expression as protected under the constitution. It is seen to have severe ramifications on university administrations which so far had restrict students’ involvement, especially in opposition politics.

About 200 mat rempit held a noisy demonstration at the historic Clock Tower near the Penang state legislative assembly building today, demanding a 'racing track' for their use.

The group, led by Shahabuddin Ahmad - a representative of Pertubuhan Islam Gabungan Amal - lined the area with their motorcycles about 1pm and honked noisily for about 15 minutes before the police dispersed them.

Their mission appeared political as most of the bikers were wearing yellow T-shirts with the words ‘LGE racist’ - a reference to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng - and ‘Save Penang’.

De facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz says he has no problem with a non-Malay prime minister as long as the best man gets the job.

“If it happens that the best person is a non-Malay, so be it,” he told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview published today.

“I cannot say, ‘I’m Malaysian first, but the prime minister must be Malay.’ You can’t have your cake and eat it (too).”

Last year, Nazribecame the first Umno minister to declare he was Malaysian first and Malay second, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia concept.

“Yes, I am a Malaysian first and Malay next. Does any bigot have a problem with that?” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department had said in an open letter to Utusan Malaysia last September.

His words appeared to be a direct snub to his superior in Umno, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who once famously declared himself to be Malay first and Malaysian second.

But Nazri stressed today it was crucial for a Malay leader to lead the charge for greater inclusivity as non-Malay leaders would have a hard time garnering broad support.

“Someone has to take the lead. It is very important for a Malay leader to come forward,” he said.

“If a Chinese leader... or an Indian leader comes forward, it’s not going to change the country as they are not the majority community. So Malay leaders must take the lead.”

He added it was unacceptable for ethnic minorities to be told to go back to China or India more than half a century after Merdeka, and that Malaysians must instead respect cultural differences while celebrating what they had in common.

“For heaven’s sake, after 50 years we should accept each other now,” he said.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari gave his statement on the bullet and threatening note he received yesterday, at the Gombak district police headquarters.

Abdul Aziz received the items, by post, at his mother-in-law's residence in Taiping, Perak. The threatening note had read: "Jangan kurang ajar dengan Sultan maut nanti" (Do not be insolent with the Sultan or you will meet with death).

"I lodged a report yesterday at the Taiping police station and today I came to give a statement. Police have taken the (9mm calibre) bullet for investigation," he told reporters later.

Abdul Aziz said the threat will not stop him from working as usual, saying he believes this was the work of those unhappy with his comments on the decree by the Sultan of Selangor, recently.

Abdul Aziz's statement disputing the Sultan's decree was objected to by some parties, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who described his refusal to apologise as insolence.

Meanwhile, Gombak district police chief ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah confirmed the police report made by Abdul Aziz at 7pm last night and said the police were investigating the matter under Section 507 of the Penal Code, for criminal intimidation.

The police are investigating the case of a bullet being mailed to constitutional law professor Abdul Aziz Bari, under Section 507 of the Penal Code or for criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication.

Yesterday, Abdul Aziz (left) received along with the bullet a letter that read: "Jangan kurang ajar dengan sultan maut nanti" (Don’t cause mischief with the sultan, you may meet your death).

The items arrived in an ordinary brown envelope via the postman’s morning delivery at 11.45am.“I made a police report in Taiping yesterday and today I come to find out more... the police at Gombak have taken the bullet for further investigation,”he told Malaysiakini.

“I gave my statement at the Gombak District Police Headquarters (today), and one inspector named Nor Fadilla recorded my statement,”.

If found guility under Section 507, the perpetrator “shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, in addition to the punishment provided for the offence by section 506".

Abdul Aziz added that questions the police asked him were straightforward, such as whether he had any enemies and the reason he left to Taiping after receiving the bullet.

Yesterday, the don told Malaysiakini that he was leaving home to head north for a forum with PAS deputy chief Mohamad Sabu in Bagan Serai.

Meanwhile according to Bernama, Gombak district police chief ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah confirmed receiving a police report made by Aziz at 7pm last night.

The police identified the bullet as a 9mm calibre.

Abdul Aziz was thrust into recent spotlight when the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) law professor commented on the Selangor sultan's decree on the Selangor religious authority’s raid on the DUMC church in Petaling Jaya.

Senator Ezam Mohd Noor lodged a police report on Oct 13 against the professor and Malaysiakini, followed by police and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) investigations.

The UIA promptly issued Abdul Aziz a show cause letter and suspended the professor.

After overwhelming support and protests from students and fellow academics, NOGs, opposition leaders as well as Deputy Minister of Higher Education Saifuddin Abdullah, the universitylifted the suspension on Oct 24.

However, the professor told Malaysiakini that the worst was yet to come.

Students at state-funded Islamic schools in Sabah share beds with torn mattresses and bathe at outdoor taps, despite the state allocating millions of ringgit for upgrading works.

According to the Auditor-General’s Report 2010, RM1.7 million worth of upgrading works in five residential schools sampled were either done shoddily or had not commenced at all despite payments having been made in full.

“The contractors who fail to complete work according to specifications must be blacklisted, and payment should not be made before a job is done,” the report reads.

It also called for an investigation and action to be taken against those “found to be negligent or involved in corrupt elements”.

At Sekolah Menengah Agama Negeri (SMAN) Tambunan, RM1.35 million was paid from 2009 to 2010 but nothing was ever done.

The same happened in SMAN Pantai Manis where directly-appointed contractor Milure Solution pocketed between RM2,000 to RM24,000 for each job, which it however never did or left unfinished.

Syarikat Pembinanan Umum Kasariah, which, among others, was appointed through direct negotiations, bagged an easy RM20,000 for merely repainting an old door it was supposed to replace.

Another RM15,000 was paid to the same company for hand basins, but the sinks are nowhere to be found.

At SMAN Menipir, which was one of the total of 13 schools sampled, the state paid RM6,600, or 340 percent more than what they should, for 60 plastic chairs, and yet they did not get the brand they were promised.

All the 13 schools sampled were found to be problematic, with some facing landslides as the necessary retaining walls were not build.

Uniforms,milk for poor students undelivered

The state’s Community Development and Consumer Affairs Ministry also received a ticking-off from the auditor-general for failing to deliver milk, school uniforms and stationery bought for poor primary and pre-school students.

According to the report, some 8,682 students did not get their milk on time and got their uniforms for 2010 too late, in the project which cost the state RM848.36 million from 2008 to 2010.

Some of the Year Six students never had the chance to wear them as they were moving on to secondary school.

In response to this, the contractors hired to distribute the items said that they were facing “logistical and manpower” issues, especially for the uniforms, as the state had increased its allocation from a pair for each student to two pairs.

The auditor-general recommended that the programme be extended as recipients told the audit team that they had greatly benefitted from them.

But the report recommended that the delivery system needs to be improved and contractors checked and fined for late deliveries.

On Friday, Malaysiakini reported that school uniforms were also undelivered in Terengganu.

Maintenance costs double the vehicle priceIn neighbouring Sarawak, municipal councils were coughing up to double the price of the vehicle in maintenance costs, with some of the vehicles not being in operation more than 90 percent of the time.

Kuching Selatan City Council had paid a total RM209,252 for repair works for a double cab pick-up truck which was bought in 1994 for RM104,895.

RM326,148 was paid to repair a backhoe which was bought in 1997 for RM228,550, but was not used about half of the time.

The Miri City Council spent RM52,303 to maintain a tipper truck which was under repair for 210 days and unused for 442 days since it was bought for RM48,750 in 1985.

A motor grader raked up RM69,259 in maintenance bills after being left unused for 90 percent of the time since its purchase in 1988.

“The management of the vehicles is not satisfactory. More attention should have been given to adhering to procedures”, including for usage of fuel, the report said.

It noted that those who use these council-owned vehicles are given petrol cards but the usage was not properly recorded, opening space for abuse.

Law professor Abdul Aziz Bari today received a bullet in the mail at his house in Gombak, believed to be related to his comments relating to the Selangor sultan’s decree on the church raid in August.

According to Abdul Aziz (left), along with the bullet was a letter that read: "Jangan kurang ajar dengan sultan maut nanti" (Don’t cause mischief with the sultan, you may meet your death).

The items arrived in an ordinary brown envelope via the postman’s morning delivery at 11.45am.

“At the time I was about to leave home to head north for a forum with (PAS deputy chief) Mohamad Sabu in Bagan Serai,” the professor told Malaysiakini when contacted this afternoon.

Abdul Aziz said he has not yet lodged a police report as he was in a hurry, but that he will do so latest by tomorrow. He said he was unsure of the type of bullet, only saying that it was small.

When asked if the threat worried or scared him, the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) professor said he had never received written threats such as this, except for the time he criticised PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang during the party’s 2009 muktamar.

“I am okay. I have not been rude to the sultan. I did not call him ‘natang’, that’s a far cry indeed. I only spoke about the exercise of power,” said Abdul Aziz.

He was referring to anincident in March 2008 where supporters of former Terengganu MB Idris Jusoh protested at the menteri besar's residence holding up banners that read, “Kami nak Idris, natang” (We want Idris, you animal).

Parit Buntar Umno Division chief Abdul Raman Suliman died early today at Parit Buntar Hospital, his aide Mohd Jamil Yahaya said. He was 62. Abdul Raman, who suffers from a kidney ailment, died at 12.20am, about an hour after he collapsed at his home in Kampung Kedah in Parit Buntar, he added.

Mohd Jamil said Abdul Raman was found lying down in the bathroom by his wife Saemah Hussein and was rushed to the hospital. Abdul Raman, who was a former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, had returned home at about 11pm yesterday after attending a meeting of the Perak Umno liaison committee in Ipoh.

Mohd Jamil said Abdul Raman would be buried at the Kampung Kedah Muslim cemetery before the Zohor (afternoon) prayers today. Abdul Raman leaves a wife Saemah, and six children, two of them sons.

Bayangkan,kalu gomen beli 1,000 set screw-driver untuk IKBN bererti PENYAMUN TARBUS can get away with a cool RM192,140.00 profit of the rakyat's money. Bisnes bagus kan? No wonder the gomen find ways & means to be in power sepanjang hayat.

- the Star,10 Sept 2007 reported....Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the relevant ministries and government agencies mentioned in the Auditor-General's report to explain why their spendings were not in order.“They must explain. They will have to answer,” said Najib when asked about the public fund mismanagement cases contained in the 2006 report. Asked if the ministry secretaries-general were empowered to deal directly with suppliers, Najib said they were not and that dealings must be done through open tenders.

In the wake of the Budget 2012 unveiled by Najib, who is also Finance Minister, Anwar had issued the challenge. It is the second time since Najib took over as PM in 2009, that Anwar has thrown down the gauntlet.

On both occassions, Anwar had called for public discourse on the national economy but despite huge public backing for the debate, Najib has shied away for one reason or another. This has prompted accusations that he was "chicken".

The PM's record size RM232 billion budget has been widely panned by financial experts as a mess of election goodies and one-off cash 'bribes'. Yet it failed to elicit positive response from the populace who worry that the country was headed for bankruptcy by 2019 due to Najib's reckless spending.

Since coming to power in 2009, the 58-year-old Najib has fallen into one scrape after another despite spending hundreds of million on expensive public relations firms. His inability and lack of political will to introduce much needed long-term reforms are the root cause for his deepening unpopularity.

“After the debate between Anwar and Shabery, the people found out that the oil price in the country can be brought down. Same goes with Najib should he accepts Anwar’s challenge, that he will have a ‘fever’ soon after that,” Keadilandaily.com reported Shamsul as saying.

Shamsul was referring to a 2008 debate challenge Anwar had issued to then premier Abdullah Badawi, who was quick to pass the buck to Shabery Cheek, the information minister at that time.

The people have the right to know and take part in the discourseThere is no way Prime Minister Najib Razak will dare to take up the debate challenge from Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, otherwise, he might get a "fever", says PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin.A gifted orator and a former Finance minister, Anwar had called on Najib to openly discuss economic issues and grouses after the PM criticized the Pakatan Rakyat’s Prosperity for All Budget and praised his own instead.

Anwar had also said the debate must be held soon and be accessible by the public because the issues surrounding the government's Budget 2012 had not been properly explained to the people.

Shsamsul also slammed Najib for the poor performance of his administration, especially its failure to curb corruption. The recently released Auditor-General's Report for 2010 had pointed to discrepancies at no less than 32 ministries and federal agencies.

Both Anwar and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang echoed his views.

"The first public conclusion from the 2010 Auditor-General’s Reports is that there is no difference between Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s National Transformation Policy and his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s “Islam Hadhari” – as horror tales of financial hanky-panky, mismanagement and misappropriations continue unchanged, year in and year out, whether under Najib, Abdullah or even Tun Mahathir’s time as Prime Minister," said Kit Siang in a statement.

“The poorly managed Poverty Eradication Programme under the Implementation Coordination Unit in Prime Minister’s Department with an allocation of RM691.52 million, has been found to have failed to meet 54.4 percent of its objective," said Anwar, adding that the audit proved Najib's grand transformation plans were just "hot air".

28 October 2011

Teoh Beng Hock's family today lodged a police report to compel investigations on individuals implicated by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the political aide's death.

Gobind Singh Deo, counsel for Teoh's family, said this is in response to de facto Law Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz statement in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

Nazri's had said no criminal investigations were launched against three Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) implicated by the RCI because no police report was lodged.

Gobind lamented that the police report is a step back because a police report had already been made when Beng Hock died two years ago He pointed out there had been many rounds of investigations since, and the only thing left to do is to decide whether to bring forth criminal charges.

"If we are going to charge, then charge. If not, tell the family why is it we are not going charge despite having findings by the RCI, which clearly suggest there has been criminal wrongdoing," he said.

Speaking to reporters before lodging the report at Tun HS Lee police station, Gobind questioned whether the attorney-general had no confidence in convicting those implicated based on the RCI's findings.

"Does it mean that ultimately, even the RCI report does not inspire confidence? (Nevertheless) if the minister requires us to lodge a report so that action could be taken, then so be it," he said.

Cops can launch probe on its own

Lamenting that the family's patience had been abused, Beng Hock's sister, Lee Lan said she hopes Nazri would respond in Parliament by Monday.

"But the RCI said there was evidence that the interrogators abused their powers, but there is no action thus far," said Lee Lan (left), while choking back her tears.

Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, who was also present, pointed out that there had been precedents to show that the police had the authority to initiate investigations by themselves.

As an example, Teo cited how the Selangor police had lodged a report on its own against DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, accusing him of claiming that Beng Hock was murdered during the Pakatan convention in December 19, 2009.

Following this, Selangor DAP chief Ean Yong Hian Wah issued a public statement stating that the police's investigations were compromised by politics, resulting in the police initiating a second probe for allegedly threatening the police.

Teoh was found dead on July 16, 2009 at the fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam, which houses the Selangor MACC's office on the 14th floor.On July 21, the RCI concluded that Teoh was driven to suicide by four rounds of aggressive interrogation that breached procedures.

In view of this, the RCI recommended that criminal action be taken against Hishammuddin, investigating officer Mohd Anuar Ismail and officer Mohd Ashraf Yunus.

When the report was released, Nazri had promised that “appropriate action” would be taken against the trio.Another two MACC officers, Bulkini Paharuddin and Raymond Nion were also implicated in perjury and their statments were rejected by the RCI.

However, Nazri told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday that although the MACC had investigated internally, the AG was not performing criminal investigations because no police report was lodged.

However, the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 found only one of the 13 debtors was qualified to obtain a loan without such a guarantee. That particular debtor was extended credit worth RM21.3 billion.

Of the remaining 12 debtors, all of whom are not named in the report, two were exempted from producing government guarantees as they had high credit ratings. The loans to the two parties totalled RM7.3 billion.

The report also revealed that the EPF had also given out 15 loans worth a total of RM35.69 billion as of the Dec 31, 2010.

Of the 15 loans given, two were made to non-government entities despite having government guarantees. The loans are worth RM5 billion and RM1.24 billion respectively.

EPF in its response said one of the debtors is an incorporated body of the Finance Ministry, while a government agency has a 66 percent stake in the second debtor company.

The EPF Act 1991 allows it to extend credit to the federal and state governments, as well as to companies incorporated under the Companies Act 1965, or set up with the Finance Ministry’s written permission.

The report said that as of the end of 2010, EPF had given out a total RM95.79 billion, earning RM2.52 billion in interest payments for the year.RM4 bil loan skipped procedure

The year before, EPF was found to have not followed procedure for the approval of a loan worth RM4 billion for a government housing loan scheme.

The application was not tabled at the investment management committee meeting, before being approved on July 3, 2009.

“EPF said this was because the investment proposal was presented directly to the investment panel as an urgent decision was required,” it read.

The audit nevertheless found that EPF was “satisfactory” in its investment and loan activities, and had acted in accordance with Section 26 of the EPF Act.

“However, it should ensure that all department operation manuals for investment and loans are finalised and implemented.“EPF must also ensure that all loan applications are tabled in the investment management committee meetings before it is passed by the (investment) panel,” it advised.

tailek - The Auditor General should have named the 13 debtors to whom EPF has loaned billions of contributors' money. Obviously they are cannot be named because they are probably GLCs or UMNO/BN crony business groups. Makes you sick to the stomach that such corrupt actions that circumvent Finance Ministry procedures are still going on. The Minister of Finance should take responsibility for this and bloody well resign his position and let someone of more ability and integrity take over. The EPF is becoming one giant ponzy scheme.

rick teo - Most people dont realised that EPF is already a bankrupt instituition. If it were to wind up today it will not be able to pay back what it is due to its contributors. They have lost so much money in its investment that they have to keep on increasing Employers to increase their contributions so that they will have enough money to pay those that mature. The people helming EPF are nothing but UMNO cronies and is only interested on how they can make a quick buck from the EPF funds.

mohd - Being an EPF contributor, I am not surprised. The epf has been giving an average 5.5% return for the past 10 years. Now we know with facts why they are giving only such rate of return. Take in the untrusted official inflation rate of 4%, this make our real retrunn to be only 1.5%!

London-based television content producer FactBased Communications (FBC Media), which recently produced programmes to spruce up the image of Malaysian politicians, is now facing bankruptcy, reported UK daily The Independent.

The daily reports that FBC Media and its parent company FBC Group’s affairs are now being sorted out by administrators Hillier Hopkins Corporate Recovery.

“At the end of the day, if there is money available for creditors that will be paid of by way of dividend,” administrator David Butler was reported as saying.

The daily reported Hillier Hopkins saying that the it is now trying to establish “the extent of the companies' assets in order to maximise any potential return to the ex-employees and other creditors”.

The administrators added that the circumstance surrounding the insolvency will also be investigated.

The Independent's media editor Ian Burrell also today reported that FBC's offices near London's Gray's Inn Road has had its “carpets taken up”, while phones are left unanswered.

In a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that the government paid FBC Media 19.6 million Euros (RM94 million) to FBC media for the duration of three years from 2007.

The payment was for “consultancy services, advice and management of a communication campaign”.

Multiple investigations

International broadcasters CNBC,BBC and US magazine The Atlantic have all launched internal investigations into the connections with FBC.

The Independent reported today that BBC Trust is days away from considering a report prepared by the BBC executive on a series of programmes produced by FBC Media for broadcast on BBC World News.

The matter is also being probed by the UK media regulator Office of Communications (Ofcom).

FBC Media has been accused of providing editorial content on foreign subjects while doing public relations work for the same governments it was reporting on.

The UK daily had also reported that documents filed with the US House of Representatives in 2008 show that FBC contracted the Washington-based American lobbying company Apco Worldwide.

It noted that FBC had created at least four documentary series for Malaysia, including a public relations piece on the palm oil industry, treatment of natives and deforestation.

Disgusted - Looks like all this while they have been surviving by ripping of Malaysian Government via Najib. Our hard earned tax money was used frivolously by Najib to boost his and his government's image whilst he tells the very rakyat who are indirectly paying for it to tighten our belts.

Three districts in Terengganu were found not to distribute school uniforms and bags to poor children because of a possible selection hiccup in 2010.

The schools were in three districts - Marang, Dungun, and Setiu - while 53,300 sets were distributed in the other four districts. There are no explanations why distribution was not done.

To make matters worse, some districts were found to distribute the school items, involving 42,684 sets of school uniforms, in May and not in December or January, before the school session starts.

Further, some of the unused school uniforms and bags were kept in storerooms were found to have been damaged by by termites.

All this is stated in the 2010 Audit Report on Terengganu, on the Terengganu state secretary’s office.

In Terengganu, households with incomes of less than RM1,200 a month can have two of their school-going children receive assistance.

It noted that while the Terengganu government’s efforts should be lauded as between 55,000 to 90,000 poor schoolchildren benefit annually since 2006, it detected several weaknesses.

The report also states that its visit in June and August last year to Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Kemaman and Besut districts found that 89,962 school uniform items worth RM1.45 million were kept in stores.

These school items were kept in school stores, school computer labs, district office stores and district education office stores.‘Damaged due to termites’

It noticed that some uniforms were damaged as a result of the storeroom being infested with termites, but it did not state the location.

The report also surveyed 5,000 recipients and found that 94.3 percent were found qualified to receive it, 2.8 percent were not qualified as their parents have a joint income in excess of RM1,200, while the remainder did not state their income.

The auditor-general’s report also states that there were families which have more than two children receiving the benefit.

In practice, the audit team detected several deficiencies, namely that no agreement was signed between the Terengganu government and the supplier, and the government does not impose an implementation bond on the supplier.

“There are no checks done when the items were delivered, resulting in losses of RM10,792 when it was found that the bags’ zippers were faulty, resulting in them not being able to be used and being kept in stores.

A former senior police officer alleges that the Najib Abdul Razak administration is not willing to take action to form a tribunal against attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail(right) for his alleged wrong-doings, following fears that it (the government) could also be similarly implicated in such crimes.

Mat Zain Ibrahim, in his open letter sent to Najib last week and made available to Malaysiakini today, claims that he briefed Najib in 2008 when he was still the deputy premier about Gani’s alleged misconduct.

In the open letter titled ‘Rule of Law government breaks its promises’, Mat Zain stated there is a public perception that Najib refuses to take action against Gani because the premier feared the AG may expose some so-called secrets with regard to Altantuya Sharibuu or the Scorpene submarines purchase.

“I am of the opinion that YAB Datuk Seri and the government will do everything possible to avoid any criminal charges being preferred against Gani.

The government is worried that should Gani be proven to have abused his powers for cheating or falsification/corruption, then simultaneously the government would then be guilty of having done the same thing since 1990.”

Mat Zain revealed that his investigations found three letters of undertaking dated April and May 1990 signed by three well-known entrepreneurs (Abdul Halim Saad, Wan Azmi Hamzah and Tajudin Ramli) which confirmed they held several hundred million ringgit of assets for Daim Zainuddin.

Daim was finance minister from 1984 to 1991, and again from 1999 to 2001.

Mat Zain noted that he had investigated the allegations that the three entrepreneurs had held the assets in trust for Daim when an official complaint was made in 1999 by Anwar Ibrahim.

In the three letters concerned:-

a. Abdul Halim confirmed he held 52,208,500 Faber Merlin (M) Bhd shares and 130,000,000 Renong Berhad shares for and on behalf of Daim based on a letter dated April 30, 1990.

b. Wan Azmi also affirmed he held RM150 million in cash in trust on behalf of Daim.

c. Tajudin, in his letter dated May 24, 1990, confirmed he held RM70 million cash in trust on behalf of Daim.

‘Letters are material evidence’

Those three letters, Mat Zain said, are material evidence to implicate the entire cabinet at that point of time.

“Most people still remember when even a little letter from the Johor state secretary’s office in 1953 could cause not only the loss of Pulau Batu Putih to Singapore, but most importantly resulted in “loss of face”, our dignity and the sovereignty of our country.

“If such a brief letter from the Johor office can be accepted as material evidence by the International Court of Justice, then, I believe, the 1990 letters and the three fabricated expert reports prepared on Gani’s instructions could overcome any attempts to twist the facts.

“Personally, I am of the view that the documents are enough to destroy the credibility of the government since the 1990s. They can be used as proof that the abuse of powers, corruption, cheating and falsifications that have occurred all this while, were never done for the sake of the country, nor the rulers nor for any particular race or religion,” he said.

Mat Zain claims that Gani knew of the three letters as he had personally dealt with him (Gani) and extended all the documents pertaining to this case to the then-Anti-Corruption Agency in July and August 1999.

“Perhaps YAB Datuk Seri is fully aware of the facts from the very outset, being a full minister and a member of the cabinet since 1986,” he said.

“Even though YAB may not be in a position to order a full-scale investigation on Daim (right), at the very least YAB should assume the responsibility to clarify the dubious relationship between Gani and Tajudin in the context of the investigation into the Malaysia Airlines scandal.

At the very least, Mat Zain said, Najib as the Finance Minister should explain to the people whether the RM 70 million held by Tajuddin on Daim’s behalf had been returned to its original owners or otherwise.

That is why, Mat Zain said, he would be not be surprised if Gani had a role to play in the much talked about multi-million suit settlement between several government linked corporations and Tajudin.

He also said that the recent allegation that Gani performed the haj trip together with Tajudin’s proxy, and followed by another that he received gratifications from Ho Hup Berhad, are not therefore unusual or surprising.

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